Nonequilibrium thermodynamics of autowave processes in a catalyst bed

A new description of the nature of autowave processes in a static catalyst bed is reviewed by analyzing two kinds of autowaves, fast and slow heat waves. The thermodynamic description of physico-chemical processes is considered and the entropy balance equation is constructed and analyzed taking the quasi-homogeneous (basic) model of an immobile catalyst bed as an approximation. For slow heat waves, the extremal autowave solution functional (total entropy production in the system) is found and a variational formulation of the problem is given. A space–time dissipative structure (a fast heat wave) is shown to exist near the system's thermodynamic equilibrium.